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Conservation Easements Provide Long-term Protection for the Greater Flint Hills

A conservation easement is a voluntary contract between a landowner and the holder of the easement to preserve the land in perpetuity from incompatible development.

September 12, 2006

On the 200th anniversary of explorer Zebulon Pike’s first visit to the Flint Hills, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius gathered with landowners, prairie enthusiasts and agency officials to recognize the efforts of private landowners in the Flint Hills. Working in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and other conservation organizations, these landowners are helping to permanently protect the natural features and beauty of their lands.

Over the past year, through the use of conservation easements, the Conservancy and local landowners have protected more than 15,000 acres of native, tallgrass prairie in the Flint Hills, the largest remaining expanse of tallgrass prairie left in the United States. The Flint Hills represent what may be the last opportunity to preserve a relatively intact and functioning tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The most recent and largest transaction, a conservation easement covering more than 10,000 acres, was generously donated to the Conservancy by ranchers Bill and Maggie Haw.

"Maggie and I are committed to the idea of preserving not only the pristine views, but also the wonderful cattle culture of this area, where generations of same family cowboy caretakers have learned to operate the best yearling grazing operations in the world," said Bill Haw. "It is the perfect convergence of an important food producing activity that maintains the ecosystem, which developed with bison grazing over thousands of years. The Nature Conservancy is the perfect partner to recognize and enforce those two compatible goals for many generations to come."

"Thanks to the support of landowners and volunteers, we’ve made great progress in the past few years in protecting Kansas’ tallgrass prairie. Throughout their years of ranching, Bill and Maggie Haw have been excellent stewards of their land and their generous donation of this conservation easement will ensure it is protected for decades to come," said Sebelius.

The Flint Hills are progressively facing more development pressures than ever. Without long-term protection, this national treasure is in jeopardy. The Conservancy believes that conservation easements are one of the most powerful tools available for the permanent preservation of private lands and possibly the only viable approach to long-term preservation in the Flint Hills.

A conservation easement is a voluntary contract between a landowner and the holder of the easement (such as The Nature Conservancy) to preserve the land in perpetuity from incompatible development. "Because the land remains in private ownership, with the remainder of the rights intact, protected property will continue to provide economic benefits to the region," said Brian Obermeyer, director of the Conservancy’s Flint Hills Initiative. "Conservation easements do not interfere with traditional grazing, burning and other customary uses of the land, only incompatible development that significantly degrades the prairie landscape."

"I’m much more comfortable with stewardship than ownership of the land," said Jane Koger, another landowner in the Flint Hills to complete a conservation easement with the Conservancy. "The easement guarantees that stewardship will be a priority no matter who owns this land long after I’m gone."

For More Information:

• How We Work: Conservation Easements
  Conservation easements are one of the most powerful, effective tools available for the permanent conservation of private lands in the United States. The use of conservation easements has successfully protected millions of acres of wildlife habitat and open space, keeping land in private hands and generating significant public benefits.
• Where We Work: Flint Hills Tallgrass Prarie
  This tallgrass prairie is set among low rolling hills of limestone strata that cover layers of sandstone, flint and chert. The headwaters of the South Fork of the Cottonwood River run through the property.
• How We Work: Easements at the Conservancy
  For more than four decades, the Conservancy has been using conservation easements to protect more of a landscape from development than could be accomplished through outright purchase.
• Archive of our Saves of the Week and Success Stories
  Read more about The Nature Conservancy's work to save the last great places on Earth.